The Little Penguin (Eudyptula minor), also known as the Fairy Penguin or Blue Penguin, is the smallest of penguin species. Standing at around 40cm tall and weighing about 1 kilogram, their Latin name, Eudyptula Minor, describes them perfectly. Eudyptula means "good little diver", and Minor refers to how the Little Penguin is the smallest of all penguins. A normal dive depth of the Little Penguin is around 20m, but dives of up to 60m have been recorded. They have a distinctive blue-black dorsum (back), the reason for one of their alternative names, the Blue Penguin. Mostly, Little Penguins stay at sea during the day, returning to land after dark. They are famous (or perhaps infamous) in some areas for their loud calls at night. Call of the Fairy Penguins
Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOCIHTfiJ_cTaxonomy
Kingdom- Animalia
Phylum- Chordata
Class- Aves
Order- Sphenisciformes
Family- Spheniscidae
Genus- Eudyptula
Species- Minor
Diagram
Habitat
All penguin species are found in the southern hemisphere, with most making their home on or around Antarctica. For this reason, a penguin and a polar bear can never be found in the same ecosystem.
Unlike most other penguins, the Little Penguin does not inhabit the continent of Antarctica. Instead, they are found on Australia's southern coast and on the shorelines of New Zealand, where the temperatures are warmer and the climate not as harsh. On average the temperature in the Little Penguin's habitat ranges from around 10-15 degrees Celsius in winter to 25-30 degrees Celsius in summer. The Little Penguin is the only penguin to breed in Australia, and, like most other penguins, live in colonies.
Little Penguins tend to live on sand dunes, rocky shores, and at the bases of cliffs, favouring rocky shores. It is here they build their burrows and breed. The burrows normally consist of a hollow lined with plant matter, or a natural crevice in the rock. Sometimes Little Penguins even use abandoned rabbit burrows, or 'artificial' burrows set up by penguin sanctuaries. The colony location has to have easy access to and from the sea, to allow the Little Penguins to easily hunt for food in the water.
The location of a colony of Little Penguins is also dependent on a variety of other factors, such as the availability prey. The Little Penguin's diet mainly includes small fish and squid, a diet quite similar to that of the wandering albatross. Considering that both animals are found in the same area, it would follow that the Little Penguin and the wandering albatross are sometimes in competition for food. The strongest Little Penguin colonies exist on isolated islands, such as Phillip Island, where the Little Penguins are away from their main predators; dogs, foxes and cats. Their natural predators- goannas, sea eagles, fur seals and snakes- do not pose as large a threat as introduced animals. This could be because they have not had the time to adapt to protect themselves from these new predators.
The majority of the Little Penguin's preadators appear to be land animals. This may be because they are far less agile on land than they are in water. The leopard seal, which is known to be a predator of King, Adelie and Emperor penguins may also be a sea predator of the Little Penguin. However, the threat posed by the leopard seal is not so large, because they normally reside closer to Antarctica. Nevertheless, leopard seals have been spotted as far north as the Cook Islands, so it is entirely plausible that they do occasionally hunt Little Penguins.
Although the Little Penguin constructs its burrow on land, most of its life is spent at sea, with the Little Penguin only coming ashore at night. They are only found in temperate waters, as they cannot withstand the colder temperatures of waters nearer to Antarctica, nor the warmer temperatures closer to the equator. The Little Penguin does from time to time come into contact with the common bottlenose dolphin while in the sea, as both animals can be found around the coast of Australia and New Zealand.
Structural Adaptations
Solid Bones Little Penguins belong to the family Aves, meaning birds. Most birds have hollow bones, to reduce their mass and assist flying, but penguins have solid bones. If penguins had hollow bones like other birds, the air trapped inside the bones would keep the penguins afloat when in water. However, having solid bones allow a penguin to dive and remain underwater. This is important because the Little Penguin's diet mainly consists of fish, and if the Little Penguin couldn't swim and dive as it wished, it would not be able to catch its prey. The Little Penguin probably evolved to eat fish because of a lack of prey on land. An environmental pressure leading to this adaptation is that fish do not always swim near the surface of the water. As the Little Penguin does need to be able to catch fish at deeper depths, so as to be able to eat, the penguin has evolved to have solid bones.
Waterproof Feathers Unlike most other birds, penguins spend most of their time underwater where staying warm is a challenge, and so their feathers have adapted to suit this need. The bases of feathers, closest to the body of the penguin, are fluffy and downy, trapping a layer of insulating air close to the body. However, the tips of the feathers are very stiff and a lot like fish scales. This stops the water pressure from squeezing the layer of insulating air out. Because penguins have so many feathers (about 10,000- 4 times more than a 'normal' flying bird), the stiff feather tips overlap and are able to completely cover the down layer, acting as a waterproof barrier. In addition, a gland near the tail of the penguin produces oil which the penguins coat themselves in. As oil repels water, this further ensures the Little Penguins remain dry. Remaining dry is important because otherwise water would soak through to the down layer of the feather, causing the penguin to become cold. However, Little Penguins need to remain warm because becoming cold can lead to a weakened immune system, causing the penguin to become more vulnerable to disease. Also, no doubt the Little Penguin would be unable to swim, hunt, or otherwise perform as well if it was too cold. Cold sea currents in the Little Penguin's habitat is an environmental pressure influencing the development of waterproof feathers, so as to allow the Little Penguins to remain warm.
Behavioural Adaptations
Sleeping at Sea Little Penguins are actually able to sleep for short periods while at sea, by dozing on the surface of the water. This is a useful adaptation as Little Penguins often spend all day at sea, sometimes quite far away (up to 20km) from land or a convenient resting place. Being able to sleep at sea allows Little Penguins to rest without having to swim back to land. It also allows the Little Penguin to travel further, as they do not have to pace themselves to conserve energy for the return trip. Being able to swim further away from land means that the Little Penguin can extend its hunting range and increase the amount of prey available to it, thus aiding the survival of the species. The fact the Little Penguin spends all day at sea to hunt probably gave rise to this adaptation, as did the lack of convenient resting spots.
Choosing a Mate Little Penguins choose a mate each year, and remain faithful to their partner for that mating season. They method by which they choose their mate is quite interesting. Instead of a complex mating ritual most other animals have, the male Little Penguin simply builds a burrow, which will also function as a nest, and the female Little Penguin chooses the male who has built the most attractive burrow. This is a very practical adaptation. The better quality the burrow is, the better the eggs, and later the chicks, will be sheltered from the environment and kept safe from predators. Therefore, with the conditions more favourable, the chicks will have an increased chance of survival. This, in turn, will ensure that future generations of Little Penguin are more likely to survive, helping the survival of the species as a whole. The need to protect and shelter chicks influenced this adaptation, as the chicks would not be as likely to survive in the open because of their small size and lack of ability to defend themselves from predators.
Physiological Adaptation
Feeding the Young Like all penguins, the Little Penguin feed their young by regurgitating food. The parents eats the prey while out hunting during the day, and partially digest the food. Upon returning to the burrow, the parents regurgitate the resulting puree into the mouths of the chicks. This adaptation is needed for Little Penguin chicks to survive, as they are not able to find food for themselves while they are young. Birds are not able to produce milk, and it is physically impossible for a Little Penguin to carry home enough food for the chicks in one trip, while multiple trips would tire the parent penguin out. Eating and then regurgitating the food allows the Little Penguin bring home enough food needed for the chicks to survive, without the need to make multiple trips. The environmental factor which gave rise to this adaptation was simply the fact that the chicks needed to eat, and the adult Little Penguin needed a means to bring home enough food for the chicks.
Future Animal: Bald Penguin
The Little Penguin (Eudyptula minor), also known as the Fairy Penguin or Blue Penguin, is the smallest of penguin species. Standing at around 40cm tall and weighing about 1 kilogram, their Latin name, Eudyptula Minor, describes them perfectly. Eudyptula means "good little diver", and Minor refers to how the Little Penguin is the smallest of all penguins. A normal dive depth of the Little Penguin is around 20m, but dives of up to 60m have been recorded. They have a distinctive blue-black dorsum (back), the reason for one of their alternative names, the Blue Penguin. Mostly, Little Penguins stay at sea during the day, returning to land after dark. They are famous (or perhaps infamous) in some areas for their loud calls at night.
Call of the Fairy Penguins
Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOCIHTfiJ_cTaxonomy
Kingdom- Animalia
Phylum- Chordata
Class- Aves
Order- Sphenisciformes
Family- Spheniscidae
Genus- Eudyptula
Species- Minor
Diagram
Habitat
Unlike most other penguins, the Little Penguin does not inhabit the continent of Antarctica. Instead, they are found on Australia's southern coast and on the shorelines of New Zealand, where the temperatures are warmer and the climate not as harsh. On average the temperature in the Little Penguin's habitat ranges from around 10-15 degrees Celsius in winter to 25-30 degrees Celsius in summer. The Little Penguin is the only penguin to breed in Australia, and, like most other penguins, live in colonies.
Little Penguins tend to live on sand dunes, rocky shores, and at the bases of cliffs, favouring rocky shores. It is here they build their burrows and breed. The burrows normally consist of a hollow lined with plant matter, or a natural crevice in the rock. Sometimes Little Penguins even use abandoned rabbit burrows, or 'artificial' burrows set up by penguin sanctuaries. The colony location has to have easy access to and from the sea, to allow the Little Penguins to easily hunt for food in the water.
The majority of the Little Penguin's preadators appear to be land animals. This may be because they are far less agile on land than they are in water. The leopard seal, which is known to be a predator of King, Adelie and Emperor penguins may also be a sea predator of the Little Penguin. However, the threat posed by the leopard seal is not so large, because they normally reside closer to Antarctica. Nevertheless, leopard seals have been spotted as far north as the Cook Islands, so it is entirely plausible that they do occasionally hunt Little Penguins.
Although the Little Penguin constructs its burrow on land, most of its life is spent at sea, with the Little Penguin only coming ashore at night. They are only found in temperate waters, as they cannot withstand the colder temperatures of waters nearer to Antarctica, nor the warmer temperatures closer to the equator. The Little Penguin does from time to time come into contact with the common bottlenose dolphin while in the sea, as both animals can be found around the coast of Australia and New Zealand.
Structural Adaptations
Solid Bones
Waterproof Feathers
Behavioural Adaptations
Sleeping at Sea
Choosing a Mate
Physiological Adaptation
Feeding the Young
Bibliography
Dargaud, G. (2010). The Penguin FAQ. Retrieved 5 June 2010, from http://www.gdargaud.net/Antarctica/PenguinFAQ.htmlDepratment for Environment and Heritage. (2005). Little Penguin. Retrieved 5 June 2010, from http://www.environment.sa.gov.au/parks/pdfs/PARKS_PDFS_LITTLE_PENGUINS.PDF
Gulf of Maine Aquarium. (2000). Penguin Adaptation. Retrieved 6 June 2010, from http://www.gma.org/surfing/antarctica/penguin.html
Penguin Foundation. (2010). About Little Penguins. Retrieved 5 June 2010, from http://www.penguinfoundation.org.au/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=19&Itemid=19
Tourism New Zealand. (2010). Climate > New Zealand. Retrieved 28 June 2010, from http://www.newzealand.com/travel/about-nz/key-facts/key-facts-climate.cfm
Wiinterrr. (2009). Penguinology: Little Blue or Fairy Penguin -- Eudyptula minor. Retrieved 5 June 2010, from http://penguinology.blogspot.com/2009/04/little-blue-or-fairy-penguin-eudyptula.html
Wikipedia. (2010). Leopard seal. Retrieved 9 July 2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leopard_seal